In last week's lesson on the gates of Jerusalem, we saw that the
first gate mentioned, the Sheep Gate, speaks to us of the cross
and the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins. It is the
starting point and also the end of everything. Today's lesson
takes us to the next gate mentioned in the series: The Fish
Gate.

"The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of
Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and
bars in place . . ." (Neh 3:3,4 NIV)

The Fish Gate
was a gate in the north wall, just a little to the east of the
modern Damascus gate. [1] It was the closest gate to the fish
market, and it is believed that fishermen from the Sea of
Galilee and the Jordan River, Jewish and Syrian alike, used this
gate to bring fish to market. [2]

So what does a gate
used for the purpose of bringing fish to market have to do with
us today? Jesus gave us the answer very early on in His
ministry, when he called two of His first disciples: "'Come,
follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you FISHERS OF MEN.'"
(Matt 4:19-20 NIV)

The Fish Gate speaks to us of
evangelism! We have all been called to be "fishers of men"!

This gate's position, after the Sheep Gate that speaks to us
of Jesus' gift on the cross, is a natural progression for the
Christian life. After seeing that Jesus died for our sins and
after accepting His gift of salvation, it is only natural that
we would want to tell others about it. In fact, surveys have
shown that those who win the most people to the Lord are
believers who have been saved for less than two years! Their
simple testimony of what Jesus has done in their lives qualifies
them to be great "fishers of men"!

But not only is this a
natural progression for new believers, it was also a major focus
of Jesus' earthly ministry: "He told them, 'The harvest is
plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest,
therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am
sending you out like lambs among wolves.'" (Luke 10:2-4
NIV).

Is it any wonder that this was also at the center
of Jesus' last direct command before He ascended to Heaven?
"THEREFORE GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
(Matt 28:19-20 NIV); "GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE
GOOD NEWS TO ALL CREATION." (Mark 16:15-16 NIV); and "The third
time he said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter
was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love
me?' He said, 'Lord, you know all things; you know that I love
you.' Jesus said, 'FEED MY SHEEP.'" (John 21:17-18 NIV) In
fact, this has come to be known as "The Great Commission!"

Friends, once we have come to know our Lord and Savior, it
isn't enough to just sit back and enjoy what we have. We are
COMMANDED to tell others about what we've learned!

And
why not? We can't be guaranteed that someone else will tell
them! If we don't obey the Great Commission, we could be
condemning the people we love and care about, the people Jesus
died for, to their final punishment in Hell!

Enough to
ponder, friends, but do ponder this: After receiving Jesus as
our Lord and Savior, we are COMMANDED to pass through the Fish
Gate, to become "fishers of men", to tell the Good News of Jesus
Christ to others.

Join us next week to see what lesson
can be learned from the next gate in the wall, the Old Gate.